11 replies to this topic

[KaffeeKup]

Hey guys, been getting into Battletech recently and have just ordered myself the 25th Anniversary mech box which comes with like 24different mechs (enough for 2companies to go against each other)

I also got myself a starting army of clan mechs and infantry with some (borrowed for a extended period of time) tanks and artillery too.

So this is my current clan line up.

4alacorn heavy tanks
4 behemoth heavy tanks
4 ebon jags
2 timberwolf mk2s
8 manticore heavy tanks
2 long tom artillery pieces.
60 Clan elementals.

So any advice to what perhaps I should get next? What I should use for a decent army list? What can I expect from the TT and stuff?

[Phantom360]

Im not the best at this but ive been doing BT games for the last few years, but I will try to help you out here Spitfiree. ^^;

Stats. lots. and lots of stats. you can pick up a dozen books which contain multiple designs of different machines. however, keep in mind that Classic Battletech games with a sizeable army (usually around 4 or more mechs with support units) can take up to a few hours to play through, even then there is no guaranty that you will be able to finish the match, so if you intend to play this game as a 1-(possibly)3 hour joby you would be better off buying only a few mechs you know you will want to use (or give all your pilots 1 gunnery and piloting skill stats ) another option is that you play with the new Alpha strike rules, that cut down all the unnecessary bits and pieces and brings all your mech stats into a nifty little stat card ^^

if you want to get into more tactical play, getting some lighter machines such as Stormcrows, Ice Ferrits (for example) and other lighter machines (such as hover craft) would help to afford your clan task force some much needed mobility. your machines might be big, and they might have a crap load of guns. but that does not save you if the guy or gal on the other side of the board has faster units that can tie up and separate your forces. of coarse, you could bunch up your units so they cant get separated, but then their is the issues caused by cluster munitions hitting the whole group xD

on top of all that, most games are set up using a BV (Battle rating Value) this is to make sure that the game is all well and all fair for both players. for example; if your oponent sets up the BV limit at 1,500. you wont be able to go and pull out a Madcat mk II which at standard will cost you 2,732 BV, even the Stormcrow (Ryoken) is going to cost around 2,000. thus, you would be forced to bring along lights. so having a Star/Lance handy is always a bonus in large engagements

my next tip for games, would be to try and understand the differences between Clan and IS tech, jsut so that you become prepared for possible engagements you might face against other BT players. for example, you might pull out 5 clan mechs on the board with a small group of clan support units. whilst the IS player would be bringing up to twice, if not tipple the amount of units to your small group.[/color]

I'm sure pretty sure... that I have probably gotten most of this stuff correct xD if not, anyone in the MWO community who knows more about this stuff than me can discredit the bits I've gotten wrong and set you on the correct path

I wish you luck with your force building, hope my wall'o text helped somewhat *thumbs up gesture*

Edited by Phantom360, 29 February 2016 - 11:12 AM.

[SpiralFace]

Army building is always going to come down to what kind of way you play battletech with others.

A player that plays battletech as a lengthy campaign style game is going to have a much different experience then TT League players that use BV and just go to town. Also, if you play with "faction locked" lists that only draw from units that your chosen faction actually fields will have a big impact on that as well. For example, here is a list of units that Clan Ghost Bear fielded during the clan invasion era.

For clan builds, always remember that clan mechs and clan pilots are SUPER expensive to field. You will almost always find yourself outgunned and out numbered so be sure to play SMART. Because you have a bunch of elementals already in your collection, Be sure to try and field a good amount of mechs that both can transport the Elementals (so your going to want to stick to Omnimechs,) as well as support them. Elementals are great "area denial" units, you can either form rush down lists of lighter, faster clan mechs like Mist lynx's or Ice Ferrets to transport and "elemental bomb" slower opponents, Or field them on foot, have them create a "buffer zone" and have longer ranged mechs like Adders or Warhawks snipe from the rear.

Battletech is NOT like other table top wargames where there are a few "uber units" that are clearly better then everything else or have special rules. All mechs have a place, it just comes down to how you intend to field them. It usually comes down to "how would you like to command" on the field. As clan mechs are very good at being "generalists" because they have to be, but if your limited in the way that you can customize your force, try a bunch of stuff out with proxies first and see what you like.

Best advice I can get is to at a BARE minimum, get this digital .PDF book if your playing during the invasion era if your on the clan side. They have an IS version as well. This should pretty much get you EVERYTHING you need to start experimenting around with the "Classic" designs.

[KaffeeKup]

I caculated my BV limit (without the infantry) and it came to around 34k.

I suppose I could "downgrade" my unit, so my heavy tanks would become mediums, assualts would be heavies.

So my Timbermk2s would become regular 75ton ones, and my Jags could perhaps become Stormcrows or another clan medium, is this allowed in TT?

[Metus regem]

Well one thing I would suggest is, if you have an android phone, get the mech factory app, it has everything you need to play TT. Rule books, PDF record sheets for the mechs event TRO's. Since I got this thing, it has saved my back from having to lug around a ton of books.

[CMetz]

Most battles I've played have ranged from 2400-18000 BV. Just something to think about. The more units used the longer the game becomes. Playing pen and paper I would allot approximately 35-40 min per turn using standard rules. Also note that as you go up in BV you will want more lighter units for scouting and force multiplication. Try and build an army with synergy. Remember that vehicles get disabled really easily. Try matching range brackets and speed. Or area denial units protecting support units with fast strikers for flanking. There are a bunch of ways to go. My suggestion is to play a bunch of games on megamek and see what works for you. There are still a few servers around with campaigns playing out and helpful people there to teach.

[SpiralFace]

I've typically found the best BV games are as follows:

Pre-clan invasion: 5000 Points.
Post Clan invasion: 1000 Points.

Pilot skills modified by the BV accordingly, DO NOT PLAY WITH FORCE SIZE MODIFIER (too easily exploited.)

Both of those point values can usually net you about a 2 hour game if both are skilled enough, anything higher and your looking at 3-4 hour games.

Yeah, if your playing clans in TT, don't rely on heavy / assault stars to be a regular thing. In TT, Medium mechs are the work horses, and while you can usually squeeze a heavy in there as a command mech, its really tough to justify more of them. ESPECIALLY if you are playing an IS opponent, which 10k points can EASILY net them a mixed mech company to your mech Star.

[KaffeeKup]

[KaffeeKup]

Combat Vehicles.



Clan army.


Everything.
http://i.imgur.com/o60Df1O.jpg

[KaffeeKup]

Reinforced IS merc heavy armor company
4x alacorn 7400
6x Behemoth Kurita 7038
8x manticore 7656
4x Ares 4604
2x Long tom 736
1x MobileHQ 319

total 27753

Supporting mech company.
2x Battlemaster 3038
2x Cyclops 2616
2x Jagermech 1802
2x Catapult 2798
4x Centurion 3780

total 14032






clan star (mech)

4x timberwolf 10000 (config c)
4x ebon jag 10140 (config
2x grendel 4580
2x cougar 2970
2x puma 2083
2x pouncer 2557

total. 32330

clan elementals 60x 4140 (mirco pulse

[Karl Streiger]

Isn't the Ares a Clan Tank?
You use those MK II Mad Cats as standard timberwolfs?

Why do you keep just one omni mech of a kind?
For example with so many enemy tanks the TimberWolf A or D would be a nice addition.....because those SSRMs are tank killers.

[Danghen Woolf]

One thing to keep in mind is the optional rules for Early-Invasion Clan forces. The concept of 1-on-1 combat and very limited deployment of vehicles in the first wave forces. If anything I would make sure you have a good mix of Clan 'mechs because of the high BVs, a heavy Star may have a couple of lighter 'mechs or even some elementals to take care of IS vehicles. The IS usually had more mixed forces depending on the faction and if you do ComStar they used Levels of 2-6 units instead of the typical 4.